President Obama 'humbled' as he wins the Nobel Peace Prize 'for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples'By:
MIKE ALLEN
on October 9, 2009 @ 7:57 AM

President Obama 'humbled' as he wins the Nobel Peace Prize 'for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples'

Good Friday morning. Less than nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama is now certified as being in the company of Nelson Mandela, Elie Wiesel and Lech Walesa. The honor will, at least temporarily, help restore some of his domestic halo after a bruising few months.

Internationally, he’ll have greater standing and swat as he seeks progress in the Middle East and asks other nations for help in Afghanistan and pressure on Iran. Conservatives will push the idea that he’s a showboat, with big talk and minimal results.

FOR HISTORY — 5:03 a.m. ET: “BULLETIN US President Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize Eds: APNewsNow; Will be updated. OSLO (AP) — The Norwegian Nobel Committee says U.S. President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for ‘his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.’”

HOW POTUS FOUND OUT — Robert Gibbs called the White House a little before 6 a.m. and woke the president to tell him he had won the Nobel Peace Prize. An aide: “The president was humbled to be selected by the committee. “ WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT LATER THIS MORNING.

E-MAIL OF THE WEEK: “Just FYI: The angriest man on the planet right now: Bill Clinton.”

AP White House Correspondent Jennifer Loven: "The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama landed with a shock on darkened, still-asleep Washington. He won! For what? For one of America's youngest presidents, in office less than nine months — and only for 12 days before the Nobel nomination deadline last February — it was an enormous honor. But the prize seems to be more for Obama's promise his performance. Work on the president's ambitious agenda, both at home and abroad, is barely underway, much less finished. He has no standout moment of victory that would seem to warrant a verdict as sweeping as that issued by the Nobel committee. And what about peace? Obama is running two wars in the Muslim world — in Iraq and Afghanistan — and can't get a climate change bill through his own Congress."

REAX — AFP/Paris: “Obama's Nobel Peace Prize marks 'America's return to the hearts of the people of the world,' French President Nicolas Sarkozy said."

— AFP/KABUL: "The Taliban Friday condemned Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, saying rather than bring peace to Afghanistan he had boosted troop numbers and continued the aggressive policies of his predecessor. 'We have seen no change in his strategy for peace. He has done nothing for peace in Afghanistan,' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP. 'We condemn the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for Obama,' he said by telephone from an undisclosed location. 'When Obama was elected president, we were hopeful he would keep his promise to bring change. But he brought no change, he has continued the same old strategy as (President George W.) Bush.' ... Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, whose government is supported by the US and NATO allies, welcomed the award as 'appropriate.'"

—AFP/CAPE TOWN: "Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Friday praised the 'wonderful' decision to award US President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. 'It is a very imaginative and somewhat surprising choice. It is wonderful,' Tutu told reporters. 'He has had a very significant impact. It (his presidency) has changed the temperature and almost everybody feels a little more hopeful about the world.'"

—AFP/Washington: “Peace laureate Obama faces Afghan war decision.”

THE AGENDA — Obama’s aides have been quietly focused on making tangible progress on the president’s pledge in Hrad?any Square in Prague, the Czech Republic, on April 5, when he stated “clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” This gives him breathing room to show real results.

THE COVERAGE — NBC’s Matt Lauer, at the top of “Today”: “Good morning. Breaking news: A stunning announcement this morning. President Barack Obama wins this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.”

—ABC’s Diane Sawyer, at the top of “Good Morning America”: “Good morning, America. Breaking news — a big surprise. President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee, citing effort to create a new climate in the world, where nations talk to each other, and eliminate nuclear weapons. Instant reaction to the stunning news, coming up. … It’s really kind of the Olympic gold of international diplomacy. … Even those in the room when the announcement was made gasped in wonder and surprise.”

President Obama 'humbled' as he wins the Nobel Peace Prize 'for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples'

THE CITATION: “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

“Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

“For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that ‘Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.’”

SCOOP — ABC’s Martha Raddatz says the three options Gen. McChrystal presented to the president are: “not to send anymore troops to Afghanistan, considered a ‘high risk option.’ The second is to send 40,000 troops, and the third calls for a major increase in troops, far more than 40,000.” WSJ’s Peter Spiegel and Yochi Dreazen, following Martha, say the third option is for “more than 60,000 troops.” ABC’s Jonathan Karl first reported that possibility on Sept. 25.

— David Rogers on “The Lost Senate: If senators can’t get along, how can they govern?”: “Change is a great constant in Congress: One generation is forever giving way to the next. But to look back 30 years at the Senate — when this reporter first came to Washington — is to see the last remnant of something now lost from American government.” TEXT, PDF

— Lisa Lerer on women in the Senate -- “The Magnificent Seven: From what was a record high of seven female senators elected in 1992, women have gained in numbers — and seniority.” TEXT, PDF

— “The Senate Watchlist: The 2010 Senate landscape is almost evenly split down the middle: Republicans will be defending 18 seats, while Democrats will be defending 19 seats, including the January special election in Massachusetts.” PDF

GREED IS BAD — The White House wants to stage a fight with Wall Street over re-regulation. Senior administration official: “"The White House is gearing up for the next big political fight after health care with an event tomorrow that will put the stories of average Americans struggling as a result of the financial crisis against the multimillion fight by lobbyists and big business against the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and regulatory reform. The White House is hoping to rally support from communities across the country as the first part of the regulatory reform package is marked up in the House next week."

AUSTAN GOOLSBEE is doing conference calls today with bloggers and regional reporters. The economic team will be doing interviews over next week with The Consumerist blog and Yahoo! Finance.

APPEARING WITH THE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY TIMOTHY GEITHNER TODAY:

— 64-year-old woman from Wisconsin who rolled over $550 from payday lenders to pay to move closer to her daughters
— 52-year-old woman from New York who was contacted by a mortgage broker who promised to lower her monthly payments by $400 by refinancing,. And received an Option ARM that has raised her principal balance by $20,000
— 44-year-old woman from Baltimore was charged $148 in overdraft fees in April 2008. Most of the fees resulted from her bank's reordering of her withdrawals that took place on the same day from largest to smallest (instead of chronological order). The overdraft was caused by a mortgage check that the bank rejected the very next day. This caused a cascade of $37 overdraft fees on three purchases from the same day, including a $37 fee based on $12.08 debit charge for lunch
—31-year-old woman from Pennsylvania refinanced in November 2006; the broker promised her a low fixed rate loan but instead gave her two more expensive loans — a large adjustable rate first loan and a second smaller loan.
— 61-year-old man from Maryland. As a wounded veteran, he receives a monthly government check of $123, which he keeps in a separate "veteran's account,” not his primary checking account. Last summer, he lost the ATM card for the veteran’s account and called his bank to cancel it and order a new one. To avoid mixing up his cards, he had used a card with a special logo on it and he requested the same logo on his replacement card. Instead, the bank sent him a plain bank debit card, which he thought was for his primary account. For the next two weeks, he used the plain card for regular expenses and quickly overdrew the small amount that was typically in his veteran's account. The account ended up $1,400 in the red, with $814 of that due to 22 overdraft fees of $37 each. When he discovered the bank's error and explained the situation, the bank was only willing to refund part of the fees.

U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BEGAN AIRING TWO NEW TV ADS THIS WEEK — 1) “Keep Standing Up” — Running in 3 states (started on Wednesday), thanking Sens. Conrad, Lincoln, and Snowe for voting against a government-run plan. LINCOLN AD, OTHERS

—Time cover, “Why It's Time to Retire the 401(k),” by Stephen Gandel: “[T]he past year has shown that even with our added savings, we are at much greater risk today of our bank accounts running empty than when employer-guaranteed pensions were the norm.”

—JEB BUSH PRAISES OBAMA ON EDUCATION — George Stephanopoulos’ “George’s Bottom Line” blog: “Jeb Bush told my colleague, ABC’s Teddy Davis, that he likes what President Obama is doing on education: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) lavished praise on President Barack Obama’s education policies on Thursday, telling ABC News that the Democrat who succeeded his brother in the White House has broken from the teachers’ unions and should be applauded by conservatives. ‘The fact of the matter is, the guy is on the right track, and his (Education) Secretary is as well,’ said Bush. ‘I think he sincerely believes that the system has let down an entire generation of students, particularly students of lower income, and he’s passionate about it and the policies reflect a way to improve them.’”

— WILL INDUSTRY STICK WITH HEALTH REFORM? POLITICO’s Chris Frates: Democrats may still have been enjoying a good CBO buzz yesterday, but some of Washington’s most powerful lobbies were hard at work addressing major concerns with the Senate Finance legislation. Doctors, insurers, hospitals and drug makers have all raised objections, but no one has freaked out yet. The groups’ cool responses are another reminder of how much K Street and the Hill have come to see each other as integral to advancing their respective self-interests. But after Tuesday’s Finance Committee vote, the clock starts on crunch time. Most groups want their concerns addressed before a bill goes to the floor, and a failure to do so will test how far the trust between lawmakers and K Street goes. Stakeholders will get their first real gut check next week as they’ll have to start seriously considering whether to stay on the reform train or jump off and try to derail it.

— N.Y. Times A17, “Democrats Are Considering Additional Tax on Insurers,” NYT’s Robert Pear and David Herszenhorn: “Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that House Democrats were considering a ‘windfall profits tax’ on insurance companies to help pay for legislation that would provide coverage to most of the uninsured. The idea, she said, is to capture some of the profits that insurance companies might reap if the government required nearly everyone to have insurance and subsidized premiums for millions of low- and middle-income people. … Alissa Fox, a senior vice president of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, said: ‘There won’t be any windfall profits. We estimate that uninsured people who come into the individual insurance market will be about 20 percent more expensive than people already in the market.’ … Robert E. Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, said the tax ‘would lead to higher premiums for families and businesses,’ because insurers could pass on the expense.”

HOUSE DEMOCRATS ALSO SUGGESTED SLAPPING THE WINDFALL TAX ON DRUG MAKERS.

—“Palin notably absent from gov. races,” by POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin: “Sarah Palin stands ready to stump for the Republican gubernatorial candidates running in the two most closely-watched campaigns in the country this fall, but neither seems to want her help. Less than a month before voters go to the polls, it appears increasingly clear that the former Alaska governor, vice-presidential nominee and conservative favorite will not appear on behalf of either New Jersey’s Chris Christie or Virginia’s Bob McDonnell. Palin is the only one of the most talked-about potential 2012 presidential candidates who has not yet campaigned for either Republican candidate. … ‘The governor offered her assistance with both races,’ said Palin adviser Meg Stapleton. ‘The ball is in their court.’ Neither GOP campaign wanted to discuss why they didn’t want Palin in the state — to say so would offend the conservative base that both Christie and McDonnell are counting on, not just to vote for them but to also volunteer time in the crucial final weeks of the election. … ‘No,’ is all Christie spokeswoman Maria Comella would say when asked if they had invited Palin.”

WEDDING TOMORROW — William Lucas Harton, to Haley Sarsfield, at 3:30 p.m. in the Charleston, S.C., area. Will is an investment banker in Charleston and eldest son of Dave Lucas, anchor of NewsChannel 8’s Morning and Midday reports, and host of “Capital Golf Weekly.” Haley is also a banker and the pair met and will live in what Charlestonians modestly refer to as the Holy City. It's a wonderful Lowcountry affair, from the bachelor party at the Carolina Yacht Club to the service among the oaks at St. Andrews Episcopal in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant, near Charleston Harbor. His Daddy, a native of the Holy City, is so very proud.

This is absurd! He is "lying", again! He is "not humbled", and he does not deserve to receive the "NOBEL PRIZE"! The Peace Nobel has forfeited all credibility. How can a man who drops "bombs" on innocent school children, women, and elderly people in Pakistan, win a "Peace" Prize? How can a man who kills innocent school children, and non-combatant civilians through surreptitious airborne drone attacks a "Peace" Prize?"PEACE IS THE HIGHEST ASPIRATION OF THE HUMAN HEART, A MAN WHO SUPPORTS 'ABORTION, AND BLACK MOB 'FRATRICIDE' CANNOT BE A MAN OF PEACE"!

Hey...somebody had to win. Yassir Arrafat already has one (...and is currently and at present, dead. That limits the photo ops.). Osama Bin Ladden is hard to find. The next most visible guy that hasn't had sex with an intern was a shoe in for the prize.

My comments have been altered, so only part of it is seen above. What are the reasons the Nobel Prize has been awarded? Traveling, making campaign speeches is not enough. Spending a "billion" dollars to buy a political office, and influence, is not enough. Can a person who promotes abortion, of any kind, especially late term abortions, be a "peacemaker"? A leader whose home city is mired in urban "fratricide", where gangs of youth are lurking, roaming killing innocent teenagers by bludgeoning them in the head with a two-by-four, cannot be credible as a "peacemaker". Why did he wait a week or more before commenting? In Pakistan, Obama has "bombed schools, hospitals, villages, innocent school children, old folks, and non-combatant civilians. How can a person prosecuting two wars be awarded a Peace Prize? This action will "backfire" in the faces of the Nobel Committee, because it is "premature, and undeserved"! In fact, it is the first "Affirmative Action Nobel Peace Prize"! He has accomplished nothing! You don't "reward" someone with this kind of recognition to "encourage them". Would one be rewarded with the Nobel Prize in Medicine, for example, for curing cancer, before they actually found a cure? Can a man who is initiating a "domestic race war" be a peacemaker? The prestige, and credibility of the Nobel Peace Prize "must" be called into question. It is, essentially, an award to the unilateral disarmament of our country, and an appeasing, capitulation to the enemies who would undermine, and destroy us. This is an "anti-Semitic" gesture as well, and a slap in the face of those who perished under National Socialism, because Obama, along with his buddies in Iran (whom he is allowing to develop nuclear weapons) seek to "wipe a nation off the face of the earth". that is "unconscionable". This will not change Obama's destiny. It is an albatross around his neck! The story is still being written, and this premature gesture will become a "laughing stock". A man sending a "troop surge to war", is lauded as a peacemaker? NOT!WOLFGANGPITBULLINGTONIII!

On a more somber note, this is a serious honor that now has further degraded its own seriousness. There are several signal honors that I received in my life (Clearly, not as luminary as others, but it's what I have.). One was in Harmony Church, Georgia in 1985. The setting was the Rights of Passage program (ROP) for the leadership of the incipient 7th Infantry Division (Sadly, now deactivated.). A 10 mile, platoon leadership level ruck sack run. It was not designed as a race, but as things happen when you put a bunch of 18 to 20-something year old men loaded with testosterone and weapons together, that's how it ended up. The platoon I lead won. There were no cameras. No medals. No awards of any type. I don't even remember if the RI's (Ranger Instructors) gave a nod to my unit. Didn't really matter. Those 10 or so guys and I knew what we did, and so too did the other platoons coming in after us. We beat a bunch of men that were as hard as woodpecker lips. Forever after, it's a point of pride for me. Fast forward to this Nobel prize situation. I'm sure the folks that awarded it have no idea of the lifelong burden they have placed on Obama. It's bad enough when a person knows they don't deserve an award. It's excruciating when the rest of the world knows. Forever after he's the guy that won it easy. As a matter of fact, the only thing that seems to come hard to the Prez is the presidency. That's too bad. For him....and for all of us.

Wearefor, I find it offensive that you characterize me, a moderate conservative, as sad, pathetic and ignorant. You know nothing about me. Because I am an inviting person, I will tell you a bit. I am a graduate of the US Military Academy with a degree in Engineering. I have an MBA, and own a business employing 40+ people. I have two children, and volunteer in their classroom twice per week. I do the 'sh_t' jobs that teachers and their unions don't want to do. I post here often, and though I am a critic of the president, I do not call him names or accuse him of ignorance. I do not accuse you of ignorance either, though the verdict is still out on that judgment. I do accuse you of intolerance of others though. If you took a little time to look at the post that I make here and other places, I try to engage the thoughts of others. I try to moderate the tone of folks that are bombastic and negative in their approach to the president. Though I agree with almost nothing he does, he was elected, and for the next 3 years, he will preside over the country. That's how it goes. He should, however, get used to criticism. I'm sure it's a new experience for him. You might want to consider counseling. You seem angry. Were you beaten as a child?

KABUL – U.S. forces have withdrawn from an isolated base in eastern Afghanistan that insurgents attacked last week in one of the deadliest battles of the war for U.S. troops, the NATO-led coalition said Friday.

The pullout from the Kamdesh outpost near the Pakistani border is likely to embolden insurgent fighters in the region. The Taliban swiftly claimed "victory" for forcing the coalition to leave and said they had raised their flag above the town.

This is the most shameful thing that has happened so far. The generals and the Commander in Chief should be held responsible for the death of these 8 soldiers , who were sitting at that outpost like birds on a wire , and the wounded, no telling if some of them also will die, or wished they were dead. If we can't protect our fighting force , we should quit the war.

Never mind the defeat, that the outpost now got closed and not before the death of these soldiers. The Taliban now put their flag up on the outpost. What a defeat for us. Shameful. We didn't even burn that outpost? So they could put their flag up?

I am an old lady , I wish I could go and beat the pants of those who are responsible for that decision and how they handled that outpost. Life means nothing to them . Our soldiers mean nothing to them. Or they could have never handled this situation that bad. B..........s

YEAH ... HE DID "ALL THAT' AFTER ONLY TWO WEEKS IN OFFICE WHEN HE WAS NOMINATED! --- FARCE ---- JUST A BLATANT ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE USA FOREIGN POLICY ... AND WITH OBAMA, IT WILL !BLATANT ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE USA FOREIGN POLICY. FARCE.

Dear Barack Obama, Peace prize? what a hack job! So let me get this straight, Barack, you have a "war" cabinate with NO peace-nik type opinions? I guess that kind of seals the deal for the Industrial Military Complex.... this sucks more than I can express on this page. My $34.00 contribution (yard sign and a sweatshirt) got me $600.00 spread over 26 paychecks and you got half back by taxing my cigarettes. How much did Boing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Etc., etc. get for THEIR contributions? The raw truth will come out, Barack, and the new wave of patriots who run for political office will use this PUBLIC information to nock you hacks of your hills! Peace prize...Bull s$$t................

Wolfgang Pit Bullington, III: Oct. 9, 2009 - 8:07 AM EST Only 4 posts????? I am very proud of our president. I knew that the right wing wackos would be fit to be tied this morning after reading this. This is a great honor and only proves that the right wing extremists in this country are a sad and pathetic group of ignorant people. As Americans we should be proud of President Obama. It is sad that these right wing nuts do not understand that we are all in this together.......The RNC and the GOP will be hopping mad today. CONGRATS TO OUR PRESIDENT....//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////My self-esteem is not dependent upon any damn thing you might think of me. You don't know me, you don't know where is stand on anything, and you've just come to the fight as a "couch potato". I've been on the battlefield for many years, have lots of victories, and we will win this, too. I am not "right wing, not a Republican, don't listen to (and have never) Rush, Glenn, Hannity, Fox, or whatever". You folks do not have any kind of substantive discussion. All to do is show silly pictures, post pages from some stupid Website with whom you agree, and call names. I am not a Southerner, not a racist, not a redneck, I drive an S500AMG, not a pick-up truck. I will admit, however, I am a member of the National Rifle Association (and I am proud of how hard they fight to protect Second Amendment Liberty, I don't believe guns "kills people", Thugs, like you, do! Isn't it amazing the "power" a piece of lead has? Isn't it amazing how a bullet can "effectuate" attitudinal, and behavioral, and provide a 'teachable moment in a criminal trying to add 'victims' to his 'criminal resume'". You might love being a "victim", go ahead and be one. There are a lot of criminals, like you, Obama, ACORN, and the Democrats who killed the kid in Chicago, running around looking for victims. I don't plan on being one, and am not going to be one! "I wish they would bring "Ol' Sparky (think Oklahoma, think Electric Chair) back on active duty" for people like you, Barney Frank, Polanski, and others of your "ilk"! And, for you "edification", you need to get off your knees, "take that "Thang" out of your mouth", quit "sucking" on everything shoved into your head, and "GET REAL"! Don't be a lil' 'poosay' that anybody can 'ride'! HA! Got 'er folks!TRUST GOD : NOT THE GOVERNMENT!